The Campaign to Fix the Debt – a national nonpartisan coalition of business leaders, political and community leaders, academics and individual citizens – today officially launched its Tennessee leadership committee and growing efforts to bring concerned individuals together all across the state to encourage federal lawmakers to address the ballooning national debt.

Campaign to Fix the Debt Tennessee co-chairs, including former Governor Winfield Dunn, and Tim Pagliara, CEO of CapWealth Advisors in Franklin and Founder of Enact the Plan, were joined by other leaders from both political parties in the launch, which was held at the Legislative Plaza in Nashville.  Former Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen was traveling today and was not present, but Bredesen serves as a member of the Campaign to Fix the Debt’s national steering committee.

During the event, Governor Dunn and Mr. Pagliara called on lawmakers in Washington to put aside political differences to find practical solutions to the debt and encouraged Tennesseans to ask their leaders to take swift and sensible action.  Former Tennessee Congressman Lincoln Davis, as well as Paula Flowers, former Tennessee Commissioner of Commerce & Insurance, and Matt Kisber, former Tennessee Commissioner of Economic & Community Development, also made remarks in support of the campaign.

“The national debt has grown out of control, and now threatens our economy here at home and our influence around the world,” said Governor Dunn. “Continued inaction and gridlock is not acceptable. So immediately following the election, we need our leaders in Washington to quickly put partisan differences aside and work together to find some common-sense solutions to get the job done. I have great confidence they can do this, but they must act quickly.”

In addition to the long-term challenges facing the country due to runaway deficits and debt, federal lawmakers must confront the rapidly approaching “fiscal cliff” – of more than $600 billion in automatic spending cuts and tax hikes next year alone that most analysts agree would push the country back into economic recession.

“Private sector businesses, the people we employ and those who are out there looking for work, are already feeling the uncertainty over whether Congress and the White House will be able to strike a budget deal before January. Most businesses are not going to hire new workers or invest in new plants and equipment if they can’t be certain that a couple of months from now the economy won’t be going over a fiscal cliff,” said Mr. Pagliara. “The federal debt is massive, and it’s a problem that affects every layer of the economy. So we want to be sure our Tennessee representatives know it’s time to roll up their sleeves and work together on the tough decisions.”

Members of the growing Fix the Debt-Tennessee State Leadership Team announced Wednesday include:

Governor Phil Bredesen, Nashville, National Steering Committee, Fix the Debt Campaign

Governor Winfield Dunn, Nashville, State Co-Chair, Tennessee Steering Committee, Fix the Debt Campaign

Tim Pagliara, Franklin, Chairman & CEO, CapWealth Advisors; State Co-Chair, Tennessee Steering Committee, Fix the Debt Campaign & Founder, Enact the Plan

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Calvin Anderson, Memphis, Senior Vice President & Chief of Staff, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee; Member, Tennessee Steering Committee, Fix the Debt Campaign

Victor Ashe, Knoxville, Former U.S. Ambassador to Poland; former Mayor of Knoxville; former Chair, U.S. Conference of Mayors; Member, Tennessee Steering Committee, Fix the Debt Campaign

Joe Bailey, Knoxville, City Councilman & Former Vice Mayor, City of Knoxville; President, Bailey & Associates; Member, Tennessee Steering Committee, Fix the Debt Campaign

Bayard Boyle, Jr., Memphis, Chairman, Boyle Investment Company; Member, Tennessee Steering Committee, Fix the Debt Campaign

Forrest Conner, Nashville, CEO, McCarthy, Jones & Woodard; Member, Tennessee Steering Committee, Fix the Debt Campaign

Judge Lew Conner, Nashville, Senior Counsel, Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, Former Judge, Tennessee Court of Appeals; Member, Tennessee Steering Committee, Fix the Debt Campaign

Doug Cruickshanks, Nashville, Vice Chairman, FirstBank; Member, Tennessee Steering Committee, Fix the Debt Campaign

Congressman Lincoln Davis, Pall Mall, Former Member, U.S. House of Representatives; Member, Tennessee Steering Committee, Fix the Debt Campaign

Dr. Bob Fisher, Nashville, President, Belmont University; Member, Tennessee Steering Committee, Fix the Debt Campaign

Doug Fisher, Chattanooga, President, DH Fisher & Associates; Member, Tennessee Steering Committee, Fix the Debt Campaign

Paula Flowers, Oak Ridge, President, Enovation Group, LLC; Former Tennessee Commissioner of Commerce & Insurance; Member, Tennessee Steering Committee, Fix the Debt Campaign

Jim Frierson, Chattanooga, Founder, Compass Innovation; Member, Tennessee Steering Committee, Fix the Debt Campaign

Dave Goetz, Nashville, Vice President, Optum; Former Tennessee Commissioner of Finance & Administration; Former President, Tennessee Chamber of Commerce & Industry; ; Member, Tennessee Steering Committee, Fix the Debt Campaign

Cordia Harrington, Nashville, CEO, Tennessee Bun Company; Member, Tennessee Steering Committee, Fix the Debt Campaign

Dan Hogan, Nashville, Founder & President, Church Street Consulting; Member, Tennessee Steering Committee, Fix the Debt Campaign

Gordon Inman, Franklin, Chairman, FirstBank Middle Tennessee; Member, Tennessee Steering Committee, Fix the Debt Campaign

Jon Kinsey, Chattanooga, Partner, KPH Development; Former Mayor of Chattanooga; Member, Tennessee Steering Committee, Fix the Debt Campaign

Matt Kisber, Nashville, President & CEO, Silicon Ranch Corporation; Former Tennessee Commissioner of Economic & Community Development; Former Chair, House Finance, Ways & Means Committee, Tennessee General Assembly; Member, Tennessee Steering Committee, Fix the Debt Campaign

Warren Neel, Knoxville, Executive Director, Corporate Governance Center, The University of Tennessee; Former Tennessee Commissioner of Finance & Administration; Member, Tennessee Steering Committee, Fix the Debt Campaign

Robert Orr, Franklin, Attorney-at-Law; Member, Tennessee Steering Committee, Fix the Debt Campaign

Johnny Pitts, Memphis, Chief Manager, Lipscomb & Pitts; Member, Tennessee Steering Committee, Fix the Debt Campaign

Linda Peek Schacht, Nashville, Associate Professor and Executive Director, Andrews Institute for Civic Leadership, Lipscomb University; Former Vice President, Global Communication and Public Affairs, Coca-Cola Company; Member, Tennessee Steering Committee, Fix the Debt Campaign

Gary Sisco, Nashville, CEO, Sisco Group; Former Secretary of the United States Senate; Member, Tennessee Steering Committee, Fix the Debt Campaign

Deborah Taylor Tate, Nashville, Former Commissioner, Federal Communications Commission; ITU Special Envoy; Executive Committee, U.S. Minority Media & Telecommunications Council; Member, Tennessee Steering Committee, Fix the Debt Campaign

Charles Trost, Nashville, Attorney, Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis; Associate Dean, Belmont University College of Law; Former Tennessee Commissioner of Revenue; Member, Tennessee Steering Committee, Fix the Debt Campaign

Congressman Zach Wamp, Chattanooga, Former Member, U.S. House of Representatives; Founder, Zach Wamp Consulting; Member, Tennessee Steering Committee, Fix the Debt Campaign

Richard Warren, Nashville, Partner, Bradley Arrant Boult Cummings; Member, Tennessee Steering Committee, Fix the Debt Campaign

Mayor A.C. Wharton, Jr., Memphis, Mayor of the City of Memphis; Former Mayor of Shelby County; Member, Tennessee Steering Committee, Fix the Debt Campaign

Woody Woodruff, Nashville, Partner, Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis; Member, Tennessee Steering Committee, Fix the Debt Campaign

The Campaign to Fix the Debt is committed to advocating for our elected leaders to avert the fiscal cliff while gradually putting our debt on a sustainable course by generating more tax revenues and making smart spending cuts to programs that aren’t working or aren’t necessary.

“We are thrilled that the Campaign to Fix the Debt is involving so many Tennesseans at the grassroots level,” said Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, who is spearheading the Campaign. “In order to put our debt on a sustainable path, elected officials are going to have to make tough choices. These choices will be made easier if they know that the people they represent do indeed value cooperation and demand a long-term, comprehensive agreement over our debt.”

Through grassroots organizing, earned media activities and high-profile outreach, the national Campaign to Fix the Debt is urging lawmakers to set aside partisan differences to formulate practical solutions to our nation’s debt problems. 

For more information, or to sign the campaign’s Citizen’s Petition, please visit www.fixthedebt.org.